Lake-Lehman starter Nick Finarelli delivers a pitch against Nanticoke Area on Tuesday.
                                 Fred Adams | For Times Leader

Lake-Lehman starter Nick Finarelli delivers a pitch against Nanticoke Area on Tuesday.

Fred Adams | For Times Leader

<p>Lake-Lehman’s Ty Federici runs to third base on an overthrow in the third inning against Nanticoke Area on Tuesday.</p>
                                 <p>Fred Adams | For Times Leader</p>

Lake-Lehman’s Ty Federici runs to third base on an overthrow in the third inning against Nanticoke Area on Tuesday.

Fred Adams | For Times Leader

<p>Lake-Lehman shortstop Max Paczewski fields a grounder in the third inning Tuesday. His throw to first ended the inning.</p>
                                 <p>Fred Adams | For Times Leader</p>

Lake-Lehman shortstop Max Paczewski fields a grounder in the third inning Tuesday. His throw to first ended the inning.

Fred Adams | For Times Leader

<p>Lake-Lehman second baseman Mike Sholtis forces out Nanticoke Area’s Luke Myers at second base in the fifth inning Tuesday.</p>
                                 <p>Fred Adams | For Times Leader</p>

Lake-Lehman second baseman Mike Sholtis forces out Nanticoke Area’s Luke Myers at second base in the fifth inning Tuesday.

Fred Adams | For Times Leader

<p>Lake-Lehman’s Max Paczewski dives back to first base on a pickoff attempt in the fourth inning as Nanticoke Area’s Collin Piestrak prepares to make the tag.</p>
                                 <p>Fred Adams | For Times Leader</p>

Lake-Lehman’s Max Paczewski dives back to first base on a pickoff attempt in the fourth inning as Nanticoke Area’s Collin Piestrak prepares to make the tag.

Fred Adams | For Times Leader

LEHMAN TWP. — The anxious moments came early this time around. Once quelled, Lake-Lehman was on its way to a victory Tuesday.

The Black Knights pounded out five extra-base hits in the first three innings and kept early Nanticoke Area threats in check for a 6-0 win in a Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2 baseball game.

Lehman’s victory reduced the Division 2 pennant to a two-horse race. The Black Knights (8-1, Div. 2, 10-1) got a leg up on Holy Redeemer (7-2 Div. 2, 10-2), which was knocked off 4-3 by Wyoming Area. The two are also battling for the top seed in the District 2 Class 3A playoffs, with Redeemer holding a 0.036 lead in the power ratings entering Tuesday’s play.

Nanticoke Area (4-4 Div. 2, 7-5) will now be playing to land in either the third or fourth seed in the D2-3A playoffs to gain a home game in the postseason.

“That’s our goal,” Nanticoke Area coach Joe Yudichak said. “Our original goal was to win the conference, but right now we have to win our next game.”

Back on April 14, Lehman led Nanticoke Area 6-2 going into the bottom of the seventh. The Trojans rallied for three runs and stranded the tying run on third. Stranded runners were a problem Tuesday.

Nanticoke Area had runners on first and second with one out in the first inning, yet failed to score. Then the bases loaded with one out in the second and nothing. Another runner made it to third with one out in the third and the Trojans couldn’t get him home as they were shut out for the first time this year.

Lehman starter Nick Finarelli worked out of all three situations and then didn’t allow a runner past first in his final two innings on the mound before yielding to a pair of relievers.

“Nick struggled in the second inning. Everything was up a little bit,” Lehman coach Mike Sholtis said. “But he’s a gamer on the mound. They had bases loaded and he pitches himself out of it. And again, our defense was solid behind him.”

As for the Lehman bats, leadoff hitter Max Paczewski got things rolling by starting the first inning with a double. Cole Kaiser then reached on a bunt, and he and Paczewski scored when Connor Morgan tripled into the left-center gap just out of reach of Nanticoke Area left fielder Devyn Sura.

Morgan scored on a sac fly by Ty Federici to make it 3-0. Lehman plated another run in the second when Cole Morio singled, stole second and later scored on a single by Kaiser.

Consecutive doubles by Federici and Graeson Finarelli to start the third made it 5-0. The final run scored on a groundout.

NOTE: Nanticoke Area’s next game is against Holy Redeemer at 4:30 p.m. Friday at PNC Field in Moosic.

Wyoming Area 4, Holy Redeemer 3

JJ Hood struck out 13 in five innings of work and Wyoming Area made the most out of four hits to bump Holy Redeemer from first place in Division 2.

Hood, Hunter Lawall, Sean Petrosky and John Morgan each had an RBI for Wyoming Area. Lawall and Sam Supey had a double each.

Luke Kopec and Nate Dudeck each had a double and single for Redeemer, which finished with five hits.

MMI Prep 3, Wyoming Seminary 2 (8 inn.)

MMI Prep’s Marcus Danchision and Wyoming Seminary’s Aiden Murphy locked up in a pitching duel that wasn’t decided until the eighth inning.

Danchision struck out 13 in 7.1 innings to pick up the win. Murphy fanned 18 in 7.1 innings, but yielded three runs in the eighth.

Danchision, Kevin McNulty and Colin Williams had an RBI for MMI in the eighth. Seminary’s rally in the bottom of the frame came up a run short as Murphy and Ethan Kruger had an RBI each. Murphy had a triple.

Lake-Lehman 6, Nanticoke Area 0

Nanticoke`AB`R`H`BI

Myers 2b-p`3`0`1`0

Krupinski 3b`2`0`0`0

Cease ss-p`3`0`1`0

Matson cf-p`2`0`0`0

Reakes 2b`2`0`0`0

Spencer p`3`0`0`0

Sura lf`1`0`0`0

Mackiewicz ph`0`0`0`0

Brown rf-lf`2`0`0`0

Egenski c`2`0`0`0

Casey ph`0`0`0`0

Piestrak 1b`3`0`1`0

Totals`23`0`3`0

Lehman`AB`R`H`BI

Paczewski ss`4`1`2`0

Kaiser rf-p`3`1`2`1

Morgan cf-2b`3`1`1`2

Federici 1b`2`1`2`1

Wallace pr`0`0`0`0

G.Finarelli c`3`0`2`1

N.Finarelli p`2`0`0`0

Bean 3b-p`2`0`0`0

Sholtis 2b`3`0`0`1

Morio lf`3`1`1`0

Leone rf`0`1`0`0

Totals`25`6`10`6

Nanticoke Area`000`000`0 — 0

Lake-Lehman`312`000`x — 6

2B — G.Finarelli 2, Federici, Paczewski. 3B — Morgan.

Nanticoke`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO

Spencer L`2.0`6`4`4`0`0

Matson`1.0`2`2`2`1`1

Cease`2.0`2`0`0`0`3

Myers`1.0`0`0`0`0`1

Lehman`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO

N.Finarelli W`5.0`3`0`0`4`8

Kaiser`0.2`0`0`0`2`0

Bean`1.1`0`0`0`1`2

Wyoming Area 4, Holy Redeemer 3

Redeemer`AB`R`H`BI

Dudeck 1b`3`1`2`1

Elmes cf`2`0`0`0

Astra c`3`0`0`0

Griffin p`3`0`0`0

Hoedl p`1`0`0`0

Miller dh`2`0`0`0

Maciejczyk dh`2`0`0`0

DeMauro`0`1`0`0

Kopec 3b`4`0`2`0

Martin ss`2`0`0`0

Kugler lf`2`0`0`0

Dunleavy 2b`2`1`1`0

Totals`26`3`5`1

Wyoming Area`AB`R`H`BI

Melberger cf`3`1`0`0

Wiedl ss`3`0`0`0

Kelleher c`3`1`0`0

Hood p-1b`2`0`1`1

Lawall 1b-p`3`0`1`1

Supey lf`1`1`1`0

Petrosky dh`2`0`0`1

Noone 2b`3`0`0`0

Morgan rf`3`0`1`1

Little cr`0`1`0`0

Totals`23`4`4`4

Holy Redeemer`000`021`0 — 3

Wyoming Area`001`120`x — 4

2B — Dudeck, Kopec, Lawall, Supey.

Redeemer`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO

Griffin L`4.1`4`4`4`5`6

Hoedl`1.2`0`0`0`1`1

Wyoming Area`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO

Hood W`5.0`4`2`1`3`13

Lawall S`2.0`1`1`1`5`5

MMI Prep 3, Wyoming Seminary 2 (8 inn.)

MMI`AB`R`H`BI

Danchision`3`1`2`0

McNulty`4`0`0`1

Williams`4`0`2`1

Lutz`0`0`0`0

Valkusky`3`0`0`0

Castro`3`0`0`0

Magula`3`0`0`0

Rinaldi`2`0`0`0

Nolasco`1`0`0`0

Kelly`3`0`0`0

Burns`2`1`1`0

Sechler`0`1`0`0

Totals`28`3`5`3

Seminary`AB`R`H`BI

Amend`4`0`1`0

Youngman`3`1`1`0

Murphy`4`1`2`1

Kruger`4`0`1`1

Flanley`4`0`0`0

Hromisin`3`0`1`0

Vodzak`3`0`1`0

Williamson`3`0`1`0

Evan`3`0`0`0

Vought`0`0`0`0

Totals`31`2`8`2

MMI Prep`000`000`03 — 3

Wyoming Seminary`000`000`02 — 2

2B — Williams 2, Youngman. 3B — Murphy.

MMI`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO

Danchision W`7.1`5`0`0`1`13

Williams S`0.2`3`2`2`0`1

Seminary`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO

Murphy L`7.1`4`3`0`1`18

Amend`0.2`1`0`0`0`1